


I Hate You

by Monstrrum



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal Death, Bad Decisions, Broken Bones, Burns, Crying, Emotional Hurt, Fear, Fear of Death, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Injury Recovery, Lies, M/M, Major Character Injury, Molduga, Near Death Experiences, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Regret, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Self-Hatred, Sidon needs a hug, Smile, Violence, Zora's Domain, false death, lynel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-11-06 04:10:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17932571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monstrrum/pseuds/Monstrrum
Summary: Princess, now Queen Zelda, tells a lie. The word spreads across all of Hyrule, from the home of Goron to the Zora's Domain. The result of her words is destroying a prince.





	1. The Hatred of Words

Princess, now Queen Zelda has told all of Hyrule a lie. She has made a lie and gave it to all of them willingly.

After the defeat of The Calamity, she sent word of it to all of the races, Hylian all the way to the mountain of the Goron. Her words were not only of the defeat of the great evil, but also of that of the great champion. She had told all of their loss of the hero, their champion, Link. The Zora were the last to receive this message.

* * *

Prince Sidon and his father, King Dorephan, were in the greatest of spirts. The Calamity no longer plagued them, their beast was tame and rains no longer cursed them. They spoke and laughed happily with words of Mipha and many other things that could not be spoken about with the uncertainty and fear of the world weighing heavily with the state their home had been in before the beast was calmed. All was of peace and nothing else, until a messenger rushes in to deliver the words of the Queen. Quick panicked words filled with grief and pain is received, taken by the now silent king and prince, the surprise and pain on the former more apparent than that of the latter. 

The champion Link was gone along with the darkness.

They remained silent, the guards in the room who had come with the messenger, the king, and Sidon. It was left undisturbed until the eyes of all widened at the look of their prince. He smiled wide and seemed completely unfazed by the news he had received as he turned his back on all of them and began to leave the throne room. His father called to him, the guards and the messenger reached for him, grabbing onto his arms only to quickly release when he pulled away with the gentleness of an enraged lizalfos. They stared after him as he continued with the smile plastered on his face. As he passed those in the Domain, they tried their best to ask what was wrong fore they felt the smile on his face was that of wickedness and not kindness. It was forced and they wanted to know of what had happened that caused their kings' voice to ring throughout the entirety of their home. They all became too afraid to approach the prince when they caught sight of his eyes, which had come to the slimmest of slits. They have never seen him in such a way. They spoke in hushed voices while others tried and failed to grab his attention. The guards moved out of his way.

The smile remained as he left the more populated areas of the Domain, it remained as he left to the beast. He had intended to inform Mipha, her spirit of the passing of her hero, but his legs carried him away from it. They carried him higher and higher even as they ached, up to Shatterback Point. He stood on the cliff, looking out at all that was below. His smile wavered and his eyes stung. He could only hold his composure for so long until it shattered, shattered like the backs of all who fell from the very edge he stood upon. He sobbed and screamed louder than anything he has ever done before. He screamed even after his throat began to burn, even after his head grew light and filled with dizziness. He screamed until he fell back, away from the edge to the ground he had stood upon. His mouth finally falling silent as he gazed upon the sky above him. Tears continued down his face and he did not bother to wipe them away. Minutes turned into hours, he felt, of crying and wishing he was in the most horrendous of nightmares. Something more vile and grotesque than a dream of Lynels striking him with arrow after electrical arrow and beating him with blades sharp and heavy. Perhaps something worse than being ingulfed in excruciatingly painful amounts of lacerations. He wished and prayed for anything else, anything. But the words ring constantly in his head "Link is gone".

He stayed up on the point for what he thought was an eternity. His scales felt dry but he denied himself the waters that wait below. Even if he truly wished to dive into the abyssal depths, his body would not allow him to move from his resting spot on the ground. After a small amount of time would go by, tears would come back to his eyes. He was so tired but he still wanted to cry, to weep for the fall of the champion, his champion. Though he had never admitted to that aloud. He never told Link of his love, of his complete infatuation with the hero, and the pain it brings to love him so. He felt the guilt rise in his chest threatening to burst. Link was Mipha's love, Mipha's one and only. She made him the armor although never able to give it to him. She gave him her life for him to survive. She gave the world her life to protect him. She even gave her grace to protect him. 

Link had told Sidon and his father of her spirit in the beast. And they smiled and cried happily knowing her spirit was calm and well and watching over them. It was a tradition now to bring offerings to her, ones of love and encouragement, and those set to be a reminder of how much they miss and want to honor her. Sidon had spoke to her more times than he had spoke to her when she lived. He hated how much more time he got to spend with her after her passing. He hated the words he could not have told her during her short life. He hated all of the words he could not tell Link before his. More than his hatred of words, he hated, despised how he felt for the love of his sister's life. He cried again when he found himself wishing he had been the one to go instead of his sister.

He stayed upon the point, not moving and continuing to weep. He wept and would cry out the names of his sister and the champion. He felt only the pain and grief of the past and the present. 


	2. The Hatred of Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look before the fight with The Calamity. From the perspective of King Dorephan.

It was late in the night, and the king sits resting on the throne with eyes shut and breath even. He of course could move from the throne and sink deeper into the water that goes beneath him, but he found it to be relaxing to stay above in such a peaceful night. His eyes remained shut but almost shot open when he heard not one, but two familiar voices. Those of his son and the champion. With one eye slightly peaking, he saw them strolling slowly into the throne room whispering as quietly as they could to avoid disturbing the one they thought to be asleep. He knew it was wrong to listen in to their conversation, but he found little interest in anything else. He was curious as to why the two were awake at such an ungodly hour and sneaking about. He shifted slightly and kept a single peaking eye on them, and listened to their hushed words.

"Tell me, my dear friend, as much as I enjoy our time spent together why must we speak at such a time?" His son seemed a bit tired but happy nonetheless to be with his friend.

Link spoke, which surprised the king but seemed to be normal to Sidon who did not jump or react in a dramatic sense as he always did when something new occurred. "I wanted to take a another look around the Domain... before I leave for the castle..." Sidon makes an "oh" as he moves to the side of the champion.

"Ah, you will leave so soon? I know you have your duty to vanquish The Calamity, but can you not stay a bit longer to gather supplies or to rest?" Link shakes his head at this, and the king would have scolded Sidon for this selfishness but knew his son meant well by his words. "I understand my friend. Though I do wish you did not have to face such a feat alone... we all worry for your safety here." Sidon lets his head fall a bit in what he could only assume to be sadness. 

Link does not reply to Sidon's worries and instead asks a rather peculiar question. "Sidon, tell me a lie." 

Sidon lifts his head, tilting it slightly as he stops walking with link. "A lie? Why would I tell a lie?"

Link shrugs and signs as he talks. "I thought it would be interesting. I tell  a lie and you tell me one. When I come back we can try to guess if the lie was true or not." 

Sidon stares at him, confusion very clear on his face. "I... apologize friend but I am not one to... to lie to you." He turns away from the champion and sighs.

Link pulls the slate free from a bag of leather and taps the screen a few times. He turns it to Sidon and grabs his attention. "This picture here, it is me and in my hands is a scale of a dragon. It is Dinraal's." Sidon gawks at the image Link holding the scale in one hand. 

"Truly you are quite amazing but I can not truly believe that is an actual-"

"Your turn. Tell me something that could be a lie."

Sidon looks at Link and then the image, thinking hard it would seem. "I...," He pulls on his head tail and presents a scar, albeit faded it still was deep and visible if you were to come up close, to Link. It was as though his son was once made of glass from the way the scar appeared on the flesh like spider cracks. "I received this scar from a shock arrow." 

Of course Dorephan knew the truth of this faded collection upon his son's tail, but he dare not speak while they think he rests. 

Link's eyes were wide but he nodded. He would try to get the truth behind the marking. The two boys smiled at one another before Link signed something the king did not understand and turned to leave his son in the room. They waved at each other and then link was out of sight. Sidon remained as he pet his own tail. He sighed and looked down to the spot that his friend had stood which earned a raised brow from the king who was curious of what his son was thinking. The curiosity stopped when Sidon spoke aloud to himself unaware of someone listening in. 

"I could have told you another... another lie my friend..." He sniffles and turns away from where the hylian had left "I could have said something more... so much more..." Dorephan's eyes widened when he saw the tears of his son stream down his face. 

"I hate you so much my champion. I hate how you smile and speak so sweetly to me. I hate how kind and patient you are. I hate your golden hair and peach colored skin. I absolutely abhor those... those..." He inhaled sharply "I hate those brilliantly blue oceans you have within your skull. I hate how they draw me in, how I get lost in them..." 

"I... I love that I hate you so."

Dorephan kept those lies locked within his mind as he closed his eyes and listened to his son's hushed cries.


	3. The Hatred of Completion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To continue with the promises by himself brings pain and tears. On with the unfinished until they are finished (till the very end of the beginning, and far after till death).

Days had come and gone for him. Days of sorrow, grief, and agony. Sidon had not known or expected him to be like this... this depressed creature, a zora, a prince, stuck atop a feared place with only tears as a comfort when a friend has passed. He found himself completely pathetic as he sits himself up and the pain shoots through his back. Ironic really, he thinks. The pain subsides but a feeling of dryness distracts him now. He feels not at all hungry for anything but can feel how dry, how thirsty his scales are. He should move to the water far far below, but he finds no strength to do so. He opts to stare down into the endless abyss of a black sky that held splashes of gray and white here and there. He kept no track of time when he first came to Shatterback Point so it was of no surprise that it was night. He did not care to keep the time either. How unprincely.

He brings his knees close to his chest as more tears tried hard being almost successful in coming to surface. But they stay beneath. He has cried almost enough, almost. He wants nothing more than to stay still on the cliff with the damp rock, damp with dew or tears he can not tell, and sulk. He wonders what Link would think of his mood and winced. Link would tell him to get up, go eat, bathe, be happy. The tears bursts from their dams and Sidon whimpers, though he does stand which earns quite a bit of joints popping and bones creaking. His whole being was stiff. Though that mattered little to him right now. He needs to eat, to bathe, to... find happiness. So he straightened, stretched and closed his eyes. Before he took a leap of faith and jumped. 

* * *

He bathed in the river for hours and caught five hearty bass. After the first bite his stomach demanded him to eat more and he provided with the utmost urgency. It felt wonderful to eat after however long he had gone without. So he continued to something else that would make him feel even better, fishing. Yes it was a bit strange to go fishing after he had in fact just finished eating a meal of fish. But this time he would fish with a stick and string. The way he wanted link to teach him. He frantically searches for a great enough stick, one that would be comically too big and would have made Link laugh, along with some form of string. His makeshift fishing rod seemed well-made, until he tried to actually use it. He did not understand the way the fish had ignored the bait, various mushrooms, he had tied to the end of the string. One had inspected it, getting his hopes up, only to lose interest a few moments after. Sidon huffed and continued to wait until a tug at the line sent him into a panic as he tried hard to bring it to the surface. Just as he was about to pull it out of the water, the stick snaps in two. His eyes go wide and he just stands there for moments, staring at the broken wood. He starts to laugh. He imagines what Link would sign after laughing hard along with the prince, 'Maybe the fish are a rival to the throne!'. He laughs more at the thought of Link diving in after the fish after seeing how upset he had gotten with losing not only his first fish but the confidence to continue. Sidon sheds a tear at the daydream.

After the fishing nightmare he moves to the next objective on his mental check list and heads into the Akkala region. His only reason being to steal a glane, perhaps even a scale from the great dragon Dinraal to see if Link truly told a lie to him. 

He waited for minutes, then hours on the edge of a great canyon, until it was the time where the sun was beginning to rise. That was when he saw a burst of white and gold followed by bright flames. The air turned hot and almost unbearable for the zora. But the sight, the sight of the beast was beautiful. A long twisting body with flame nearly bringing the prince to tears had streaked across the early morning sky. He did begin to cry when he thought of what the hero would say. Something informative about the dragon, about its scales and horns, how it flies, why it appears, how beautiful the creature is, maybe even how he had gotten burns from the creature when he tried to steal the scale. He wishes Link could have brought him here. He hates that he could not ensure his best friend's survival. He cried until the sun was high in the sky.

His body felt weak and he knew Link would want him to rest, to try to relax in a body of water and eat another meal. So he does, and for hours he rests and when he wakes he eats another meal, almost the same size as the one he ate the day before. He needed perhaps more than a meal a day, he though as he ate. He made quick work of the meal fore he had another item on his list. Though it was quite idiotic to even have anything relatively close to where he was headed. 

He held close to his heart a plan of a trip, to travel to the desert and fight a molduga. From what Link had once told him, the creature dwelled deep in the desert sands.

Foolish, foolish was the prince. He bought many items for heat protection but thought not to bring water. He was a zora and he forgot what he needed to live! He had sweet and juicy melons, wraps, and meats. The meats had dried but the fruit stayed thick and full of the sickly sweet fluids and the wraps had helped him to stay cool. He adjusted the veil of the armor that was said to give him protection, even just the smallest of it, from the sweltering weather. He was already so tired when he came to a seemingly empty ruin. The sandals made it so much more traversal fore the sand shifted so easily under him and would have scolded his bare feet. He failed to notice just how much the sand was moving and the rumbling that was heading his way. He had realized almost too late that the beast was below him. Just barely did he get out of the way, and to his own surprise was he able to land blows on the beast when it flipped belly-up in the air. Sidon's skill with the bow saved him the trouble of having to get too close but kept him from making any use of anything else when the creature came too close for comfort. It hit him with its large tail and dragged him across the sand when it grabbed ahold of his leg. In the end though, with many wounds and burns, he was able to defeat the creature. He could not celebrate his victory as he made his way back, as fast as his wounded legs would carry, to the bazaar and the small oasis it held. He cried out in pure bliss as he completely submerged himself, earning looks from the rito, goron and hylians who surrounded the oasis with shops. Never had a zora come to the desert and lived. And he almost joined the dead.

At the bottom of the body of water, Sidon checked another task off his list. He soon began to think of how Link would scold him for going in the desert for the first place... but then tend to his burns, cuts and bruises and smooth protective creams over his scales. He shuddered at the idea and smiled. But when he remembered that of Link's fate he began to cry, though it would never be noticed under the water. He stayed beneath the cooling embrace of the water for a day tending to his own wounds before leaving the desert for good. He did make sure to sell the elixirs he bought out of impulse.  

He made his way to yet another unchecked task that he held on his mental list. He had planned to visit the goron but immediately rejected the idea after realizing he would die just upon setting foot into their home. He left the thought for someone else, making his list a tad shorter. The objective after that of the flaming mountain was to travel and explore through the Faron Wood. But he did not know how to get there and felt if he had gone he would be rejected by the powers within. He decided to leave that task as well.

 _Truly his list was meant to have the help of the other..._ Sidon quickly shook his head to stop thinking of the man and continued on to another task. He would battle a Hinox. He would have thought to fight a Lynel but the thought of shock arrows ending his life kept that idea at bay. 

He asked around for the location of monster camps, nests, and anything of the like. This earned him many strange looks but he was given map after map pointing to various locations. He thanked the villagers he had visited and ignored them completely when they asked who he was and why a zora of his size had come to them. It was rude and unkind yet he could not bring himself to go back and to apologize. He had to finish his tasks, finish them all for his hero! And afterwards... afterwards is something he did not think about and something he did not WANT to think about it. He wanted to stay in the moment. Focus on nothing else. He felt happier this way. 

Following the maps, he had come across many amounts of bokoblins, moblins, and lizalfos of various colors and sizes. Even strange wizard-like beings who struck at him as he tried to pass their territory. Their magic only stung for a bit before he wrapped bandages around the wounds. He was pleased when he stumbled across a sleeping Hinox, or what appeared to be one. As he moved silently towards the creature, a blade he had purchased at the ready, he took notice of how it was not making any sound, or even any sort of slumbering noise. With a poke with his weapon he realized it was in fact not breathing, not even alive. It was confusing, frustrating even to know this one perhaps died of age. He felt great annoyance until the sound of hooves behind startle him, causing him to trip as he tried to turn towards the sound. He falls on top of the head of the Hinox, the horn grazing his side painfully even as it was only shallow. He was barely able to roll out of the way when a large blade strikes down on the base of the large Hinox's head, lobbing it clean off. The brute force, the sound of hooves and a deafening roar causes the the prince to freeze in a position on his hands and knees. He looks up quickly in fear, with a sense of dread, to see a white-maned lynel. 

* * *

It was a trap set for different prey. Not that of a water dwelling creature. But it did not matter to the great beast as it struck the zora once more with a heavy blade. 

His body screamed for him to run, yet he stayed close to the giant body of the lynel due to the fear of arrows chasing after if he gained too much distance. Sidon's fingers, hands, entire arms trembled while he force himself to hold his blade in front of him. His throat felt tight and he clenched his teeth as he braced for another blow, then another, and another. Yet still he stood fighting back as best he could, avoiding the sharp horns and thick hooves that threatened to trample and crush him. He was so very afraid as the proud creature charged him once again and it's blade made contact with the flesh just above the prince's hip. The pain was like nothing he had felt before and he screamed as he pushed through it to push his own blade into the lynel's hind leg. 

His body was failing him, his legs refusing to move, and he hold himself up with the blade firmly planted in the ground. It had hurt him to breathe, to move another muscle, to do anything more! The pain was unbearable but the worst of it all was he could hear the uneven canter of the lynel nearby as it was preparing for a final dash towards the wounded zora. He could hear his heart loud in his head and tried, tried so very hard, with screaming joints and burning muscle to move before he was slaughtered for a meal. The canter turned into a slow trot, then a fully fledged gallop that turned the earth under each hard hoof. Sidon could see only white as he roared and forced his blade out of the ground and up into the direction of the incoming, seemingly unstoppable force. The beast could not have foreseen this course in the river, could not strike down the prince as the blade pierced it's chest, it's heart, with the opening it had unknowingly created. It stomped it's hooves and shook while the zora held the blade, attempting to push it deeper into strong thick flesh, until soon, soon the beast was stilling with a whine and falling forward limp. Sidon had no time to move out of the way as the beast fall onto him.

The weight was too much, too heavy and the hilt of the blade was being pushed deep into the flesh between his collar and shoulder. It pushed harder and harder until it was in him. He screamed desperately with voice so broken, it no longer belonged to a prince. It belonged to a child afraid to die. 

"HELP! PLEASE HELP ME!" Tears poured down his face and he continued his screams, begging for anyone to hear him and to aid him. "PLEASE I CAN'T BREATHE! PLEASE PLEASE!" He began to choke on his words and fall into a fit of coughing. Tremors consumed his body and he squirmed with them, frantically trying to breathe and break free from the nightmare. He sobbed disgustingly and called out for Link. For Mipha. His father. Even Muzu and Zelda. He felt so much pain as he cried and screamed.


	4. Developing Worry, Anxiety, and Hatred.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The King sits upon a throne waiting patiently for days upon days. Worry is clear upon his face yet he will stay seated. Those around him must come to terms with what has come and wait for the prince's return. 
> 
> But when days turn to weeks and those weeks grow into months, his worry turns to anxiety and hatred. 
> 
> A chapter from the eyes of Dorephan; much time after Sidon had run away.

_My people wait so patiently for the return of their prince, my son. It has been a few days and of course I worry. The way he had left was quite strange from how he first grieved his sister, how he still grieved. He was more collected with how he mourned her for all these years, visiting her statue and nowadays visiting our divine beast to bring her spirit the news of the good and the bad that transpires in our domain. He always smiled, albeit a sad smile, when he spoke about her as we all did._

_But the smile he held once the news of the champion Link had reached us... it held no emotion that I could understand. I expected tears, cries of pain, but not this. I know how much Sidon had loved his friend, how much he still loves him. I did not expect my cheerful son to run away. Perhaps he could be visiting those that were close to young Link, or building some memorial for the man. A terrible thought had crossed my mind, one about a dragon with the name Dinraal… but my son knows the dangers and would surely not be so reckless..._

King Dorephan lingered on the thought before Muzu entered and bowed before his majesty. 

"My king..." Dorephan was snapped out his thoughts and looked down on the councilman. 

"Yes Muzu?"

The smaller zora fidgeted for a moment, clutching a long silver bow to his chest, one Dorephan realized to be his son's. "Sido- Prince. Sidon. He has left his weapons behind... Dento holds his sword..," the king waits for him to continue, clearly the smaller was struggling "M.. my king he is without weapons... what if danger comes to him?! Please we must look for him, send guards or that- that..." He stops himself. Even the king knew that Muzu was about to curse a certain hylain. 

"Muzu, my dear friend, I will send guards to look for Sidon. I myself worry for him, but this is how he will grieve it seems. Give him time. I am sure he will be cautious if he did not take his weapons. I am sure he will return in another day." He tries to reassure the nervous zora, noticing how he clutches at the bow in a protective manner. 

Dorephan leans forward, startling Muzu. He sits his head on his arms and yawns. "Muzu, rest here my friend. We shall wait some hours before sending a search party. And I need my best to be rested as I am sure you will tire yourself with this worry if you do not gain some peace. Come." He watches Muzu patiently as the mantaray moved hesitantly into the pool the king's throne was set in. He leans against Dorephans arms.

"Only for a few hours and nothing more." Still he clutches the bow but at least he is willing to rest. Dorephan lets his eyes close and tries to relax and eventually rest with the councilman.

_I am sure Sidon will be safe wherever he may be. He could not have left the domain. He is a smart one, cautious too. He will return soon and perhaps speak about his friend. No matter what he wishes to do, I will accept his decisions. Though I still have this worry about what he doing with this time away from home._

* * *

The king had sent many to search for his son, even the folk who were not of the guard but common dwellers offered to search. Mei stayed with all of the children and watched after them. Days continued, turning into weeks and this worried Dorephan. It was also taking its toll on Muzu. The poor man was neglecting sleep and meals as another day comes and goes. He was scolded each of these days but seemed to forget shortly after. Mei struggled with the children and helping those who remained in the domain as more time had passed. She looked so tired but she always had a sweet smile when asked if she needed a break. And she always said no. She was immediately taken to the healers, the ones who stayed instead of going with the guards, after she was found out cold due to the lack of rest. The children she watched over helped to take care of her while she was making her recovery.

The king fretted over his people as they became agitated and concerned for the safety of their prince. He himself feared for his child. In the beginning he did worry but felt sure that Sidon would return soon, after a few days. But those days turned to weeks, and now almost a month. The beginning of the month was horrific when the zora began to show intense anger and would throw themselves out into the world to search themselves with no armor, weapons, and no way to know where to look. They returned battered and nearing death from octoroks and stray lizalfos. As soon as they were well, they joined with the guard to go out again. He loved and hated how ready they were to throw away their lives for the protection of another of their people. 

The second half of the month was upon them and he felt a hatred bubbling within him as he sat uselessly upon the throne reading messages that were brought to him, informing him of the progress of the searches.

'The prince was not found atop Shatterback Point. The lynel still has not returned with a blood moon thankfully', 'Sidon has made no appearance near Lake Hylia, my King', 'Our prince has not been found in the Faron forests, your highness'. Letter after letter, he felt more pain and anger until he threw them all away from him. He was angry for not going after Sidon immediately, angry for not knowing where he could have gone, so very angry for not seeing just how much pain his son was in. He hated how weak he felt and how many had suffered because of a death. Another death that had affected his people so much. 

He felt a hatred for the last champion. That hatred worried the king, but whenever he thought of Link he felt hatred and anger. He felt so much anger for the young man. He wished he had not died so foolishly, he wished that the princess had put him into that shrine he had arisen from after a hundred years, he wished so much that Link was blessed with the grace of Mipha in the time he truly needed it. He clutches his fists and growls, scaring the councilman he had not noticed entering. Immediately Dorephan apologizes to the sickly looking manta. Muzu gently rubs the king's knuckle to try to comfort the king as well as himself. He still held onto that bow. Dorephan was sure Dento still had Sidon's sword. 

* * *

Dorephan bellowed and cried. He expressed his hatred and worry while Mei, Muzu, and any other who were brave enough to come close, tried to comfort him. Another month had gone by without the return of his son. Many of the soldiers, the guards, and common citizens returned without so much of a sighting. Two came back with a rumor of a bright red zora with burns bathing in the desert, but none of them could go investigate. They did not believe that rumor anyways because any zora fool enough to go was suicidal. Dorephan almost believed it. 

The night of the final day in the month came and Dorephan left his throne as Muzu and Mei slept nearby. He made his way to Vah Ruta and sat near the beast who stood ever so proudly. 

"Oh my dear daughter... what am I to do," he could feel a presence not too far from him "your brother has left us without a word to grieve your, our hero. And we know not where he is..." He rubbed at his forehead awaiting a response he knew he would not get. He sighs and looks up at the beast. "Both of you, my beautiful children, had fallen for Link. I admit he had held a charming personality and a comforting presence in all of our hearts, but now... I feel only anger when I think of him. I know it is not true but I feel he has taken my only family from me. And I... I can not bear to lose another love... you both were all I had after your mother..." He inhales shakily and closes his eyes. "Please my dear child... If you can hear my words, pray for your brother with me. Pray for his safety and his return." He stays with the beast and his daughter's spirit for a while longer, praying to the goddess in hopes it could save his son. He feels a comforting warmth and believes Mipha was sitting with him quietly.

He goes back to the throne room and sits silently. He watches those who have taken their place within the room and notices some things he hadn't before. Bazz had brought small figurines of what looked to be Sidon, when he was a tiny zora who had not hit his growth spurt, and placed them around the throne. Mei was cradling her child while other children huddled around them. And Muzu… poor poor Muzu was still clutching the bow but he had something else now, like he had moved when the king was absent. Upon further inspect, Dorephan recognized the item to be the silver adornment Sidon had always worn. He sniffled as he stared, focused on the silver that missed the blue feather. Terrible things swam through his head as he tried to comprehend why Sidon had not taken it when he ran away.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is a bit short but what can ya do? I got all I wanted in this one and working on the next. Are you enjoying the story? Feel free to let me know your thoughts on the chapters!


	5. The Hatred of Weakness / The Love of a Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "My body throbs, my arms and legs tremble, my blood trails behind, but I must continue. The fire in my lungs and the water in my eyes blind me, take my air and slow me. How much longer can I move when I stay unknowing of what is at my feet and what follows closer than my will to live?"
> 
> Keep in mind, he was never seeking death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cut up chapter, a bit short too. Sidon struggles.
> 
> Summary meaning; He is not suicidal. Just caught up in the wrong places at the wrong time. And clearly not thinking straight, but who does anymore.

_My throat is sore. My gills they burn and I can barely breathe. I want to scream but nothing more comes from my mouth anymore... except for my own blood. My eyes though, tears continue down my face from them. It is even impossible to open them completely. Though why would it matter? Everything in the right is blurred and unrecognizable and the other sees clearly though I wish it was not able as all I can view is the dark flesh and long white mane. I am so tired. I want to breathe._

_The hilt of my sword, I do not know if it remains in my body. No pain is felt from where I remember it being, though I dare not to move in fear of it puncturing and further damaging any more muscle if it is indeed still inside. But truthfully that matters no more than my eyesight. My eyelids are getting heavy just as the sky is doing the same. The clouds are so very blue. Link's eyes... they were a lighter blue. A blue that belonged within sapphires and crystal. Those vibrant, beautiful blues never failed to captivate me. Did Link ever notice me staring? Did he hear what I thought of them and the gold that frames them oh so perfectly? I smile as my surroundings become darker, was it night? It must be nearing night time. I suck in what air I can and let my eyes close. It doesn't burn all that much now, though I can not feel anything but the cold. It is very cold, I am very tired, and my tears continued._

_I wish Link was here with me. I want to see him soon._

* * *

Waking up had brought pain that was close to unimaginable. The lynel's body was no longer present and the pressure of something wet on his wounds had Sidon trying his hardest to not move, holding his breath in the attempt. Letting out the breath burned and made him whimper. His lining of his gills felt sore, burned when he tried to continue his breathing. A hand was touching his crest and he winced away from the touch. He then realized his eyes were not open.

He opened them and the room he was in was lit with a candle that looked a bit blurry on his right. The hand that was on him, on the left, had darker skin, reminding him of leather. The lighter color of the palms helped him believe it to be a Gerudo. His eyes traveled up the arm to see plump lips, a long sharp nose, and green eyes. Those eyes met his and became something that held sadness. He was curious as to why but then he remembered he was not under a lynel. He sat up quickly, surprising the woman, and cried out when pain shot through his upper body.

"Easy there, dear," she helps him lie back down "there there. You must be careful. You are injured quite terribly." She puts her hand back on his head and reaches with the other to grab a damp rag. She runs it over his crest and moves carefully to his neck, he groans quietly at the feeling. She continues silently for a few moments longer before setting the rag back in a bowl. He tries to follow after the little water he was given. "I can only give you so much in this bed... soon we will have to move you into the river. Though you are quite heavy." She wrings the rag out before turning back to him, giving him a hard stare.

He grows a bit uncomfortable and looks away. "I.. where is-"

"You are in our inn!" She interrupts. He stares at a wall, avoiding her eyes, noticing how slightly blurred it is. "Well unless you were meaning 'where is the beast?' then I would have told you it was in the same spot you were. Before we brought you here." 

He looks back at her, wincing at the pain in his neck. "...we?" She nods in response and points to a picture sitting behind her. Sidon can barely make out a large group of people in the photo. 

"My family helped move the beast off of you. You are very lucky we heard you crying out or you would have suffocated on your own blood. Or on the lack of air you were getting. Whichever would have happened first... would not have been pleasant," she sighs "would you mind explaining how someone like yourself was able to attract the attention of a lynel? I admit it is impressive that you yourself killed such a creature... but why alone? It is like you wanted a guaranteed death."

When she gets no response she frowns. "Do not speak your reasons then my dear, though I will keep an eye on you for a while. Oh, do not move! You will hurt yourself!" She moves closer to his side and gently presses him back as he struggles against her, obvious pain on his face.

"I... I am sorry. But I need to go... I need to leave!"

"Then by all means. Get up, walk out of this Inn. Leave, you strange voe. Sav'orq. Though I do not recommend it." She moves away without any further words and crosses her arms, watching but clearly ready to come to his aid. 

He pauses, feeling anxious as he watches her for a moment. He then steadies himself before pushing up from the bed, only to fall hard against the floor. The impact has him crying out and holding a hand to his chest as he takes in painful gulps of air "my.. my body... my legs. What's wrong with my legs?!" He panics while trying to stand, failing as his legs are unresponsive. The panic turns into frantic movements as he tries and continuously fails to get them to move the way he wants. He did not even consider spinal damage to be something he would receive on his expedition, but it was clear it had happen. And it terrified him. The gerudo woman is by his side in an instant and places a hand on one of his legs.

"Your legs are broken and that is why I recommend that you stay," She carefully adjusts the bandages on his legs. "being crushed by a lynel is not something just anyone can survive without serious injury..." He whimpers as she speaks. "Do not fear, vehvi. You have a strong body and you are alive because of that, you will live through this. And you will heal with time... As I said, I recommend you stay here during that time to avoid further damage." She brings a hand to his head and rubs gently. "You will be ok as long as you are here. But only if you want to be here. I hear the healing pools in your domain are wonderful... but how you will get there is unknown to me and surely to you in this condition." 

He leans into her touch, as painful as the motion is, and cherishes it. He needed this comfort, any would have done well but the feeling of someone being careful with him... it was what he desperately craved even if for a moment. They stayed on the ground for a while before she helped him back onto the bed. He listens to her explain the extent of his injuries and tells her of his plan to fight a hinox, not a lynel. She scolds him for it and he sits there silently until she is done. 

_I miss my mother..._

The woman introduces herself as Tivek, a vai gerudo who has left the desert behind to have a family with a man that lived just outside of her town. They had a handful of children, who were out and trying to figure what to do with the lynel's body, and brought in orphans who had nowhere to go. She brought the picture from the wall closer and held it out to him. But he struggled to see it clearly and he tells her this. She is silent for a while after that and he is afraid of what she will say. But instead of being pitied, laughed at, or any other horrible thing, she started to describe the family in the picture. Varying heights, quirks, personalities and some of the children old enough to take lovers and travel. Even one of her children were blind. He imagined them all and smiled. A happy family, something sweet and wonderful filled his thoughts. But it turned to sadness and he began to cry, causing her to stop talking and to sooth him. He apologizes for interrupting and for getting hurt. After all the time he has cried, he had not expected another dam to build itself inside of him. And now it was breaking down with the words flowing unevenly from his mouth. It hurt his jaw how much he spoke. But she listened to him quietly.

She listened to his cries, let him vent and she judged him no more than she did her own children. He told her of Mipha, his mother, his responsibilities, flaws, worth... and Link. He cried harder when he spoke of Link, some of his wounds reopened, those within him and those physical. They bled slowly and she carefully bandaged them before grabbing wet rags and giving them to Sidon. He was falling victim to sleep as she sat near him, giving him cold water. She whisper sweet lullabies to him and told him everything will be ok and how his friend who was no longer here would want him to move on and try to be happy.

* * *

When he opened his eyes the room was lit up with sunlight. The woman, Tivek was wringing wet rags and a man was next to her folding clothing. He could hear them speaking quietly but the words were meaningless to him. He instead was trying to focus on the ceiling above him. It bothered him how everything was still blurry. He hoped it was not permanent, but memories of the day, perhaps days before made him doubt it. He had hit his head quiet hard a few times when the lynel charged into him. It hurt him to think of the events. 

_Idiot... To think it was luck to find a hinox asleep..._

He scolded himself and clenched his teeth when pain shot through his arms. Tivek came quickly to his side with another wet rag. 

"Do not move too much, vehvi. Remember you are quite injured." He nods, regretting the movement instantly, and tries to calm himself enough to remain still. Thoughts of his idiocy plagued his mind as she cared for him. 

_Link could have killed a hinox easily, he bragged of it when he had brought the eye of the beast to trade with my people. He could kill even a lynel without so much as a concussion. What would he think of this? Would he think me weak..? A fool? He would want nothing to do with me..._

"-hvi! Vehvi! Please do not be asleep again." Snapping out of his own head, he looks at her. She stares down at him, concerned. 

"I... I am sorry ma'am..." He turns his face away from her in shame of not realizing the one who was so kind as to care for him was trying hard to grab his attention. 

She pats his head. "I was worried you would go into another long sleep. It has been a day since you were last awake," he gasps and finds it was hard to believe he slept for a day. "today we are going to move you to the river temporarily," she pauses and looks over his body "the bandages will have to be taken off while you are in the river. We can use new ones after you are out, but we will clean your wounds while you are in the water."

The man behind her moves to Sidon's right and smiles before carefully places one of Sidon's arms over his shoulder to pull him up. The action makes Sidon hiss in pain, though the man does not stop. Instead he and Tivek struggle to move the prince outside and to the river. Eventually they sit him in the water and he gasps. He pants but relishes in the feeling of water rushing over him. The two that had carried him relax with their feet in the water next to him, beginning to dig through a bag that was already out by the water. She gets what she needs from the bag and sets out sharp tools and bottles of clear liquids. By the way she sits there after setting out the objects it would seem like she is giving him time to relax and feel better in the cold river.

He lets himself slide deeper into the water, fully submerging himself and relaxing just a bit. The water was wonderful on him and he appreciated every moment of it. Soon enough hands reached into the water and began to tug and pull at the bandages on him. It hurt but he held as still as possible while they were taken off. He watched as some of the wounds bled a bit and he wondered how he did not die from blood loss. The two above the water left when they had taken the bandages leaving Sidon to some privacy. He did want to be alone anyway. He needed to the pain to stop but with them so close he felt the need to move to avoid their eyes. Mainly Tivek's. He was grateful for all she and  her family were doing, but he felt like a burden. The prince of the zora needed to be strong for his people. Not a broken body in a river. He felt so very unworthy of their kindness. But she seemed not to mind and even let him open his heart full of pain to her.

Time was going slow with the day and he was moved, cleaned and rebandaged. As they did what they could they told him of the damage. Ribs, lungs, and many other points in his body were heavily damaged. Tivek admitted to not knowing much about the Zoran anatomy but was going to bring books on how their bodies should be when fully healthy. Her husband Norah, the man helping Tivek, told him that his legs would take a bit over five months to heal. Sidon voiced his opinion on the matter and Norah told him sternly,

"You are not leaving until you can walk. Or I will have to treat you with the same respect I give to a dying horse." He only meant to scare Sidon into caring more about his health rather than to harm the zora. Norah was a gentle lamb when it came to action is what Tivek said. He stayed with Sidon while he was in bed and even helped to feed him. Sidon told him who he was, like he had told Tivek, and the man was surprised to learn royalty was in their presence. He did promise not to tell anyone though, to avoid unwanted attention. Tivek made sure to do the same.

Some weeks passed and Sidon stayed in the bed still waiting for his body to heal. The pain in his arms had died down a bit but if he strained them too much, they would lock up and be useless to him. He struggled as he tried to use his body when he thought enough time had passed. Naroh had to remind him everyday that if he keeps trying to use them, he would be with them for a year. Tivek scolded him when she found Sidon on the ground. It was a trying time for them all, but one they grew to enjoy. 

Sidon was considered apart of the family after a month and a half had passed. Children sat with him and read stories, described pictures, and many other activities. The blind child, Esa, taught him braille, even when he told her that his eyesight was not completely gone. She was kind and patient with him and he was able to read her books with little help after another half month. He did not choose favorites, but if he did... It would be Esa. After a while he began telling the children, those he found ranged from the age of eight to thirty-nine, about stories from his travel. He told them of moldugas, dragons, and his sister. He did not tell them about Link, he assumed they knew of him by his feats. He did not realize when he began to cry until several arms were wrapped around him gently. 

He felt he did not deserve this.

* * *

"I do not think a horse would make it there, Esa. Your sister tried and came back saying the horse had slipped down the mountain, breaking it's hind leg." 

"Then a balloon!"

"I do not think he would like to be so close to the clouds."

"We will hire gorons to carry him then!"

"And how will you bring gorons from Death Mountain?"

Sidon hears the girl and her mother huff at one another and he laughs. "I do appreciate the enthusiasm, Esa. But we will have to wait a tad longer don't you think?"

Again she huffs and throws her hands up before making her way towards Sidon. She plops down right next to him with a hand on his bandaged shoulder. "It has been over five months Sidon! Don't you want to go home? Or at least send a message?! I will take it myself! Damn the lizalfos and octoroks!" 

He shakes his head. "No messengers have come by, remember? Or we would have heard the bells of the curtain when they enter. And I am sure the monsters would fear you as much as they fear a bokoblin." She groans and falls back against the bed. He does the same and stares above.

"They probably miss you back home. Probably worried too. I would force you to stay forever but your dad is there. Would he fit into the inn?" This earns a laugh from Tivek as she takes a seat.

"Dorephan is too big and would destroy this! No offense my boy but do not invite him here!" They all share a laugh and Norah enters with a meal and several of the others trailing behind. 

"Dinner is here!" 

After they share a meal those who came in with the father left for work or sleep. Esa stayed with her mother to help change Sidon's dressings. Some of the wounds he had received had closed completely and scarred terribly and remained sensitive. Others, much deeper ones, still healed slowly much to Sidon's annoyance. Esa ran  soft fingers over the tender flesh and used a bitter smelling salve on them. To fight infection they told him. Only two of his wounds had gotten infected and it was a pain he wished not to meet again. Where his own sword's hilt had pierced right near his deltoid and the space near his hip, the infection was awful. They feared that he was rotting when the smell hit them, but it was just an infection they were lucky enough to catch. Sidon almost vomited when they cleaned it out. But that is not a thing he wishes to think about again.

The months he spent with Tivek, Norah, Esa and the others helped to relax and calm him. He was able to think about his rash and hasty decisions after... after certain events, and find a safer more doable set of tasks. First on the list was walking home. But his legs still needed time fore they buckled underneath him when he stood without support. He wanted to see his father but could not make it and for an odd reason, messengers were in low supply around their area. Tivek said they had forgotten about her inn again. Sidon wanted to rectify that. Along with a many of things. Still he tries to stand every day that passes and slowly walks out to the horses and leans against them. Some days he can make it as far as the door to his room from the bed on his own before his weight on his legs becomes too much. Esa laughs when she hears him fall and he laughs at her when she trips over him. 

"Even more blind are my children when they find comfort." Tivek half yells when she finds them, a laughing mess on the ground. Sidon feels happy here with them. And sooner than he thinks, he will return to the domain with them following to ensure safety. Until then though he helps with the inn and continues his recovery. 

"Some of us have use of one eye, mother Tivek!"

"Oh shut it you damned zora!"

"You two behave before I take away the books!"

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, a bit short to me but that is alright. Next chapter is of Zelda.


	6. The Pain caused by Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months turned to a year. The Queen leaves her castle with guards guiding her and a knight taking his time trailing well behind.  
> They see the damage caused not only by a lie, but miscommunication.

The new Queen of Hyrule descends from her throne, greeting those who pass her by as she gathers a handful of guards. They ready her horse, one of which that has a pale braided mane and a coat that was just a shade darker, for a long journey. Many of her people give farewells as she continues on. She trusts them to watch over the castle in her absence. 

The moment she is outside of the castle she is approached by a many of The Sheikah, ready to take her quickly to the shrine of resurrection. Her guards are quite offended when the sheikah peoples appeared but in the end were grateful when shown a way to get to the shrine that did not involve scaling a wall of rock. 

Inside the shrine it was crowded, holding many more Sheikah peoples and various experts in healing and rehabilitation. All of which were gathering around a bed and chatting happily with one another. All while and a young man, or rather a man who kept a young appearance, sits up with a tired smile. Zelda approaches, squeezing past the people, and hugs the man. 

He yawns and speaks with a rough voice "G'morning Princess!" She giggles at the way he elongates the sound of the N's and S.

"Good morning, my knight. Did you rest well?" She smiles kindly and waits for him to finish stretching, being very satisfied with the sounds of popping. He nods and lifts himself out of the liquid in the bed. 

The healers are quick to check his pulse and newer scars before giving him the OK to dress and to get a hearty meal. They were a bit surprised when he was not upset over having to sleep for a while after the first long sleep of a hundred years. He was rather happy to have slept and wake to a world without The Calamity. Even if it was for a while before the eventual return. 

Dressed and full of fruits, vegetables, and meat, the knight walks with everyone as they exit the shrine to be headed back to their homes. Each and every one of them gives the blond a hug and say their goodbyes. He feels warm inside and watches for a while as they disappear from his vision. A hand grabs his attention, making him turn to the remaining group, Zelda and her well suited guards.

'What now?' He signs with stiff fingers as he meets the queen's gaze. She responds with a frown and he tilts his head curiously.

"Oh so much, dear Link... We have been rebuilding the castle and ridding ourselves of the remaining guardians, but that is all that I have been able to see to personally. I have heard that in other places there are large gatherings of monsters, very few messengers being around, and apparently no hylians, or any races for that matter, are being allowed into The Zora's Domain."

Link nods and hums curiously. 'Odd' he signs. 

She nods in agreement as they settle into a comfortable silence, gazing at the scenery before them.

Until Zelda startles them all with the clap of her hands. "I have decided," Link falls over, nearly tumbling down the hill they were on "oh sorry Link! But I have decided that we will visit everyone."

This earns a few hard stares from the guards while Link stands back up. 

"You want to see your friends don't you, Link?"

He nods vigorously as he begins to sign a bit faster than what Zelda can understand. He has to start over but she gets the message this time.

"You want to see Riju, Teba, and Sidon? That we can do," she moves to her horse and mounts the mare "I do suggest we start with Riju and Teba to get the intense weather out of the way... is that alright?" She can see Link thinking before giving a nod. 

"Then there is to be no more waiting! Guards-" 

Link waves his hands in front of her 'Keep the guards. I will be behind you.'

"Ah, want to take your time and enjoy it?" 

He nods and she understands. "Alright, on me then!" She and her guards go on ahead of the hero as he takes a deep breath. 

* * *

Slowly but surely, Zelda reaches the desert with her men and Link about an hour behind them. She had left her horse in the bazaar to avoid the poor creature falling victim to dehydration. She spent a good amount of rupees on food for the horse and another good amount on her men and elixirs.

She decided it would be better to go into the town without waiting for Link, as to distract Riju long enough to give her a surprise. She also wanted to buy some jewelry from the kind women. Though the idea of any gems was replaced with shock when she entered the town to see a large statue depicting a hero in a common gerudo outfit alongside Urbosa. She had no doubt in her mind that it was supposed to be Link who was with her.

Beneath it there were many offerings such as fruits, unlit candles, and gems. Seeing these made her skin crawl as she began to race towards Riju. 

Guards were preventing her from going any further once she reached the housing of the small girl. 

"What is the meaning of this? I need to speak with Riju immediately!"

"I am sorry princess- I mean Queen Zelda. But she is tending to personal matters." The women were not budging but she continued to persist until Riju herself came from behind them.

"Zelda?!" She hugs her tightly and swear she can feel Riju crying. 

"What happened? Why is there a sta-" Riju fixes her with a teary stare before pulling her back into the room, closing the curtains and having present guards excused. 

She takes a seat and Zelda sits next to her. "Riju please I have to understand, why is there a statue of Link, with many gifts, in the main square? I can understand Urbosa but not him!"

Riju rubs her hands together, trying to keep herself from crying again. "Why not? It is to remember him... he may have been a voe but he saved us... why would we not build a memorial for our champions?"

"A... A memorial?! Riju you make it out to be that Link is..." She pauses and thinks for a moment. "You think Link is dead."

A sudden commotion from outside of the room interrupts them. Riju rushes to open the curtains and freezes when she notices a hylian in gerudo silk. She starts to shake before marching outside towards him. He does not have time to react as she hits him with so much force, they both fall to the ground in a hug. 

She sobs into his shoulder as the people watching stand shocked, looking between the two embraced on the ground and Zelda. 

Soon Riju and a very confused Link make their way back to the room they two women were in. As soon as the curtains were closed, a hand hits hard against Zelda's cheek. She gasps and holds a hand against the stinging flesh.

"You! You lying cruel monster! Do you think it was funny to lie to all of us?!" Riju was screaming at Zelda, loud enough for the whole town to hear. "Zelda, I trusted you! Urbosa trusted you! What is wrong with you?!"

All Zelda could do was stand back in shock. Even Link had never seen this side of Riju. He steps in between the two of them and begins to sign to Riju, something Zelda can not see. She nods her head and hugs Link tightly. 

"I... I need you to leave prince, queen, whatever it is you are now. I want you to leave for a long time. Unless you wish for unsavory things to come to you." She pauses and speaks to Link "You are welcome anytime, my friend." She does not look at the hylian woman when she leaves the two of them. Link is obviously distressed as he leads her out of the town as many of the people stare. Quietly they leave the desert with little to no words exchanged. Link was thinking and Zelda was too afraid to speak.

She was too afraid to know what would happen when they would reach The Rito.

* * *

The group had made their way to the rito people's home, and that was when Link said he would go on ahead to talk to Teba. Zelda did not object and sat silently on the stairs that led further up. She watched as many of the feather people passed by without a word. They all looked a bit confused when they saw her and a very much alive champion, and they did not want to approach just yet. 

After a while, Saki, Teba's wife came and brought Zelda up to him. Without her guards. 

The white-feathered rito was serving tea when she entered. He glared at her before turning away to get another cup. All were silent until they all had tea.

"Queen Zelda," She looks up to Teba, who has his eyes focused on his drink "I would like for you, quickly mind you, to explain why you claimed Link to be dead. When he is clearly alive and well." 

She could see the feathers of his head and neck are puffing up and his eyes are dilated. "I... I did not mean... I had forgotten my claim of his leaving with Ganon. I-I myself thought him dead until I was informed he could be saved!"

The silence that followed after her speaking was thick. Teba stared at her, eyes still dilated and neck puffing up more. He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes. 

"May Hylia curse you for what you have done." They could hear Saki gasp behind them before placing a hand on Teba's shoulder. 

"Do not say such things Teba! I know what she did was wrong but look," she motions to Link, who is looking down to the floor "he is here and well! You do not have to forgive her but do not wish for a curse." 

He calms a bit before looking back at the queen as his wife moves from to sit beside him. He sighs.

"I will not forgive you then. This... disaster of  _false news_. Has caused many issues Zelda. And I am telling you, not asking, not begging nor pleading, TELLING you. To fix your mess."  He stands and takes the tea cups to clean. He utters not another word to either of the hylians, waiting for them to leave. Link stands and hugs the rito from behind and nuzzles into the feathers. She hears the way Teba shudders and gasps quietly. He whispers things she can not hear to Link and watches as the two stay still for moments longer. 

When they finish Saki escorts them to the lower area and bids them farewell. "Be careful... and good luck." She leaves them to fly back to her husband.

Zelda breaks down, sobbing into her own hands. Her guards, who were left waiting, run to her side as Link helps her up. "What have I done?!" They let her cry and try to comfort her the best they can before moving on from the cold village. 

When she stops crying she apologizes to the silent knight behind her. He stops her and signs 'I just need to check on Sidon. You said no one was allowed into the domain anymore.' he did not add it but she knew he was worried about his friend. Prince Sidon and King Dorephan had lost someone before, just as the other races had, but to shut out everyone now... it caused great concern. Her mind began to wonder to the goron. She found that maybe Link should go there on his own in fears of her being burned alive. 

* * *

Perhaps the most terrifying feeling she has ever felt was when she entered the Zora's Domain to see very few zora. Many of the people were missing, no one was running the shops, the inn, not even children were scene upon entering the domain. The pure depressing aura they felt was heavy and it was evident that the few zora that were there were in an extremely saddened state. The fear and gloom was overwhelming to them. They noticed how the statue of Mipha held a few gifts below it as well as small dolls, resembling a small Sidon. Link kept a hood over his face, when they were approached by two unfamiliar zora soldiers, and kept his eyes on the small figurines.

"Wait, Bellan, is that not the princess?" 

"I don't care who it is, they can not be here."

"But the princess-"

"Orders are orders Avah."

"Maybe we should ask Dorephan, this may be a special circumstance. Just like the other hylian."

"Avah, please. Not another one. We had to turn her away! Just like we will the princess!"

"Well you ask why then! I do not want to get in trouble!"

"Fine!" The one called Bellan looked down on them "What is your business here, hylians?"

Finally being addressed, Zelda shakes her head to clear her thoughts. "I.. We need to have an audience with King Dorephan. It is of the utmost importance."

The two zora lock eyes. "Special circumstance" is whispered by the one called Avah. Bellan grumbles and faces the queen again. "What is of 'utmost importance'?" She then pauses for a moment, eyes dilating. "Wait do you know where he is?"

"What? Who?"

"Who- what do you mean who- nevermind!" Bellan pouts and moves out of their way and Avah shakes her head.

"Just uh... go on ahead I guess..." She moves out of the way as well.

The group looks at one another before pressing on. Climbing up the stairs they saw Muzu, one of the elder councilmen, standing by the throne room's entrance. The older zora was in terrible shape it seemed. His skin was taut over his bones, making him appear to be starved and sickly. He also held a long silver bow close to himself. Link stifles a gasp when he realizes whose bow it is. When Muzu finally notices a presence near him he looks up and gives a nasty glare, mainly focused on the hooded figure. He looked about ready to yell at them before stopping himself and clutching the bow tighter to his body. Zelda places a hand on his boney shoulder and squeezes gently in a comforting manner, only to have him slap it away and leave her as he goes to the king. She stands there in shock for a few moments. She then tells her guards to stay behind while she and Link approach the king. And they hesitantly agree to do so. 

The sight, closer up, of King Dorephan is something else. He is hunched over with his head resting on his arms, Mei by his side petting him in a comforting motherly way. They could not see his face and approached further with  much caution. Mei looked so tired and did not notice them. 

Zelda cleared her throat to get their attention but was not prepared when it startled the King into quickly sitting up, scaring all of them. He stares wide-eyed before apologizing over and over again and holding his head in his hands. She quickly accepts the apologies before taking a breath and staring hard at his hands. Link kept his eyes peeled for any flash of red nearby.

"I apologize dear Zelda... I... I am not in the best of ways at the moment... What brings you here, not that you are not welcome... We are not expecting or accepting many visitors as I am sure the two at the bridge would have told you." He looks out behind them to see the two zora arguing, and he sighs. Mei gives him a reassuring pet before leaving to give more privacy. She pulls Muzu along with her, saying how she will get them something to eat.

Zelda could not believe her ears. This zora, this mighty king, sounded so weak when speaking. It hurt to hear his voice so broken. She shudders before speaking in a much weaker voice than she had wanted to. She was so afraid.

"I c-come with... with..." He notices her struggle and holds up a hand to stop her. 

"Calm yourself please. There has been enough fear here. Take your time. Breathe." He waits patiently as she takes deep breathes. As she does so, he takes to time to look at the mysterious hooded guest by her side. He swears, under his breath, that the stranger is familiar in a way. The hood and the tunic had him reaching to the back of his mind, searching for where it was so familiar. Though before he can pull a memory to the surface, Zelda blurts out what she was so afraid to say. 

When she says 'Link is alive' and motions to the man next to her, it takes everything in his power not to jump up out of his sitting position. His face scrunches up and a low growling sound leaves his maw, make her back away in fear of an outburst. Link removes his hood and stands in front of her in a protective manner. Though it proved to be a useless act as the king began to sob loudly. He clenches his fists and lets loose a sad whale song, making the two Zoran guards rush in along with Muzu and Mei. The sad song spreads to them, making them tear up and weep with the king, unknowing of what the cause of it was.

When they all cease the tears, he tries to speak calmly while holding himself as if he were going to fall apart if he did not. 

"I... Zelda. Understand this please... I am furious with... with this! You lied about a death. A death of the last champion, a friend, a member of this family that all of my people hold dear. Even Muzu, Hylia bless him, even though he would never admit it." He slams a fist down, shaking the room. "I am grateful, of so very grateful for your life dear Link. But I... I can not express joy for this. I will demand that this... this monster of a hylian woman, use her power to search for my son!" He inhales sharply as if to hold back tears.

Link shakes and his hands tremble as he frantically signs and speaks "Wh-what happened?!" He is afraid to know. But the absence of the prince made sense. Many were missing from the domain, the atmosphere was dark, Muzu held onto Sidon's bow, a bow he was proud to have. The devil in question steps between the hylians and Dorephan with a face full of anger.

"You! You! You live and our very prince could be dead! You awful disgusting creature! You just had to become close with him, didn't you?! First our beloved Mipha and now Sidon! You.. You-" Dorephan is quick to lift Muzu away from the young hero, preventing any violence.

"Dear friend... it is not his fault, it is not his fault," he says again to reassure himself more than to do so for the manta. "please calm down. And I am sure... s-sure that Sidon is alive... somewhere."

"I don't understand!" Link screams with a cracking voice. He wants an answer of where Sidon could be, if he was safe, if he was just hiding, something that was not grim or dark. But that is not what he receives.

"When we were told of your... departure, he... Something happened inside of him that we did not notice or understand at the time. He left with a forced smile and eyes void of anything that was usually there. Link, my boy, he-" He stops himself before revealing a secret he was not sure he should reveal. "Sidon cared for you as he cared for me and his sister, Link. You were the one hylian that did not see him as a freak, you made him feel brighter than any sun we have seen. Without him here... we have all fallen to a darkness crueler than what Vah Ruta had brought when possessed by The Calamity. We know not where he is or if he is alright..." 

So many emotions filled Link. Shock, rage, sadness, and confusion flowed through him as he turned and began running. He heard Zelda call out to him as he ran, but he ignored her. He needed to find Sidon. To learn the prince had been missing for as long as Link had been recovering... it horrified him. He had to find Sidon. He had to! 

He immediately began his search by climbing to Ploymus Mountain. A place they had talked about, that Sidon had began to like after the lynel on top had been slain. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonder who the other hylian was. 
> 
> And I remember replying to a comment about Sidon having a brighter future. Guess we will see just how bright in the next chapter.


	7. Hopes of a Brighter Future/ Be Careful what you Wish for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brighter is how they describe a better future. Never has he hated the thought of something so bright as much as he did now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to say thank you for all the lovely comments and those who have stayed to continue reading! I appreciate all of you and thank you for taking your time to read this.

"Mother! Father! They did not let me into the domain!"

"Sa'oten, child control your voice! Do you want the octoroks to hear and launch a rock right at your head?!"

"Sorry mama..." The young woman comes to Tivek's side and speaks in a calmer, quieter voice. "The zora up there will not let me in. I tried to tell them we needed help getting Sidon up there but they never let me finish! They pointed spears at me!"

Tivek shakes her head in disgust before calling a halt to the others. "Alright everyone, stop!" 

A group of twenty-five stop in their tracks. Tevik makes her way to the middle of the group to a panting red zora who had not heard what the daughter had said. He was breathing hard, struggling to stay upright on trembling legs. "Sidon, do you want to rest? You are but a leaf and it is not even cold here."

The zora shakes his head and looks onward to the path. "Just-" He gasps and chokes on the air he inhales, making a few laugh. "E-excuse me... just a bit further... please, we are almost to the halfway point!" 

She looks him over, clearly disapproving of his enthusiasm in such a condition. "Are you sure? You look ready to fall over." Which was true. He was only standing now with the help of Norah and their oldest sons steadying him. His legs could only last so long. They chose too soon a day to attempt a trip up the long path. 

Again he shakes his head "Please. I can make it, t-then rest. Just a bit more!" He makes to move forward on his own and stumbles. Norah panics and holds tight to Sidon's arm. 

Tivek eyes the Zora's bandages, that still cover healing wounds, and scowls. He knew why, they had reopened though not completely. Sidon watches as she turns to look up the path with a now thoughtful expression. She stays that way for a long while before giving an exasperated huff. "Alright alright you suicidal fish! Let us move onward! BUT then we will rest! No objections!" She turns to him with her hands on her hips and a stern expression set on her face. He nods quickly and urges the boys who are carrying him to move. Norah snorts and utters an 'as you wish' to his wife, which earns him a quick peck on the cheek, turning him as red as Sidon's scales.

The family pushed on, watching their surroundings in case any monsters made themselves visible. They had only spotted a few bokoblins and those had run when they saw the size of their group, though a few had gotten brave and charged at them. Tivek's middle children made short work of the creatures and had given their weapons, clubs and such, to those who wanted them. The trip in itself would have been easy, a long trek but an easy one had they not brought an injured prince. They knew he was still in pain but he had insisted on leaving after seeing that the weather was going to be kind and warm, and it did not help that Esa encouraged the other children to beg. Norah was overwhelmed with a group of determined souls pleading to go with their mother and father and when they had began to speak of going by themselves, Norah cried for Tivek's help.

She smiled to herself at the memory before going over what her daughter had said about not being let into the domain. She did find it odd that they were not allowing guests but did not dwell on the thought long before thinking it would not matter because they had the Zoran prince with them. Surely they would let them in when they spot him. She was absolutely sure of it.

She is snapped out of her own thoughts when she is poked in the back by Esa. "Mother! Sidon fell!"

She quickly turns around to see the boy laying on his stomach on the ground, breathing hard as though he could barely keep the air he needed in. She rushes to his side and puts a hand on his head. "Sidon, you are burning up! No more, we are resting now!" She yells for her children to set up camp while she takes the canisters of water they had packed and pours it on the Zora's head and body. "A fool is what you are, a damned foolish vehvi! Come now, breathe deep." 

He does as he is told and soon enough he can breathe evenly, save for a few gasps when he tries to move. "None of that now, hurts doesn't it? You pushed yourself too hard." She manages to turn him over onto his back to inspect the bandages. The wounds had reopened completely and were bleeding heavily. She growls and calls over Esa to keep him still while she changed the wrappings. 

"I'm sorry, Tivek…" She ignores his apology as she works. Soon the wrappings are changed and clean. Esa leaves them, tripping over the poor zora in the process as she goes to her other siblings who were chatting away and making meals. Her husband was fussing at the younger children as they took korok leaves and set them on fire.

She shakes her head and smiles "They will be the death of that poor voe. But he still loves them like they are his world..," she looks down at Sidon and pets his head fins "Just as we all love you. We love you and would not be here if we did not. We can not turn back now as we are near that halfway point you spoke of, but we can sit for perhaps an hour or two so you can stand on those noodles of yours." She gently slaps at his legs and he smiles. "Silly voe…"

"I truly am sorry for forcing you into this... I thought-"

"You are not forcing a thing. I JUST said we are doing this because we love you." 

He nods before speaking again. "I love you all. For taking care of me, for saving me, for being here for me. You are as much as a family as my sister and father are. You make... you make everything feel brighter, and I appreciate that. That and all the hard work you put in for me... Even though I seem to be undoing that now." He gestures looks down at his chest and legs and laughs. 

"Fool," Norah brings food over to them and helps Sidon sit up to eat "Soon we will be up there. Perhaps not soon enough, but we will and I will finally give that father of yours a piece of my mind!" Norah and Sidon choke on what they were eating and gawk at Tivek. "What? I am just going to tell him that he raised a fine strong son! If you are anything like your father, I fear me and my husband may have to marry the voe!" She laughs and Sidon notices a blush on Norah's face. 

"I wouldn't mind that, he is quite beautiful..." He whispers. Tivek laughs harder while wrapping an arm around Norah and giving him bunny kisses.

"Then it is decided! We will marry your father!" They are all smiles as Norah covers his face in embarrassment. They are startled by Esa as she falls nearby in a panic.

"Daughter, what is the matter? Be careful, there are ledges!" 

"Mama-" She spits grass and stands "I keep hearing crackling but Elize and Bruno won't look for the source!" 

Tivek shakes her head. "Perhaps it is nothing, seeing as they think that it is not important."

"But mama it keeps getting closer! I can hear wings with it, footsteps too!" She turns her head to the direction in which she heard the sounds, close to where everyone else continued to eat and speak.

"I do not doubt your hearing vehvi, but if it was something of concern-" She pauses. "Wings?" 

Esa nods vigorously as she points in the direction. Tivek thinks for a moment, an image of electric keese appear in her mind but she rules that out. Those were not native to this area she thinks. Perhaps regular keese but then the sound of crackling must belong to something else. She could not find an answer for it though, instead she looks to Sidon. 

"Do any of the creatures here have any electrical weapons? I thought perhaps keese but... that did not seem likely!" 

He was confused both by Esa and Tivek but took a moment to think. "I... the only thing close would be s-shock arrow-" He is cut off by a scream from the others. 

Tivek is quick to rush to her children with a scimitar drawn. Norah grabs Esa and tries his hardest, while panicking, to move Sidon onto his feet. "Sidon please try to stand, we need to move! Esa hold on to my shirt!" The poor man was trying hard not to hyperventilate.

Sidon's eyes were wide as he stared at the sight before him. Lizalfos, bokoblins, and keese! Keese of all things were ambushing them! The keese were rare up this far but the other creatures, they wielded dragonbone weapons and electric arrows. He watched as Tivek fought off the monsters, trying to protect her youngest children from the heavy weapons. Elize and Bruno charged into a few that held bows, getting shocks and cuts as they plunged swords into chests. Though they were succeeding in holding back, even slaying a few, they were clearly struggling with the lizalfos who tried to knock them down.

"Sidon plea-" Norah was struck with an arrow to his shoulder. He grit his teeth and tried to move quickly away from Sidon as the current coursed through his body. He was too slow and the zora was hit with a low voltage that passed through the hylian's fingertips. Though the electricity did hurt Norah, he was still able to handle the pain enough to continue standing shakily and break the arrows shaft, leaving the head inside his shoulder. But the zora was in immense pain. What little electricity touched him sent pain shooting through where Norah's hands had been. He cried out and scrambled away, causing his aching body to burn. 

Another arrow is shot, this time closer to the prince and he tries to crawl away from the dangerous object as more are aimed at him. The creatures recognized their opportunity to kill a zora. Many of the others have taken hits from sharp weapons but were standing their ground and felling the monsters. Only few have been hit with arrows and their flesh was red and burning where the arrows have connected. The pain needed to be ignored as they focused on stopping the ambush. 

Norah screamed something out and Esa was on the ground trying to play dead with her hands covering her ears. Tivek was slaying bokoblin after bokoblin before she turned to see Sidon trying desperately to get away as arrows flew through the air to him. She fights harder to kill the remaining foes. It takes to long, she thinks, the monsters were planning an attack! They must have been following for a while, waiting for an opportunity. The more she thinks on it, the more she hates herself for not being able to prepare for any sort of ambush. She yells in frustration as she pierces the heart of yet another bokoblin. She looks around to realize that she had killed many while she was thinking, while her body fought on autopilot. There were only a handful of monsters left but she needed to get to Sidon's side. She turns around to him.  _He needs to m-_

A flash of light, not a great flash but one that could hurt your eyes, comes from his direction, followed by a blood curdling scream. The light disperses and she can see what happened clearly. 

Sidon had been hit.

* * *

 There was no breath from one, and screaming cries from the others as Tivek pumps his chest and breathes for him. She can barely see from the tears in her own eyes but she knew the movements enough to do it completely blind. She had to make him breathe, make him open his eyes, do something other than lying dead on the cold ground. She was so afraid for the zora and knew how unlikely it was for him to survive a shock arrow, but she still tried, she still kept pushing what life she could into him. Esa was hyperventilating due to the smell of burning flesh, Norah was doing his best to remove the arrow from Sidon's shoulder while Tivek continued. 

They were begging, pleading with Hylia to save him. They were all so scared. 

When she feels a faint breath coming from him she cries out in excitement and quickly has her family wrap the damaged, blackened flesh. After, they all work to carry him further up the path, leaving behind the bodies of many monsters. Esa is the only exception to the help, as she clings to her father who follows his wife's soft voice. She is trying her best to comfort everyone as they struggle with the heavy unconscious zora. Every fourth of a mile they have to put him down to see if he is still breathing in fear of losing him. And it takes the rest of the day to get him to the bridge entering the domain. 

Two zora are quick to try and stop the large group, but upon seeing their prince they begin to panic and shout for help. But there was no one to come because most were out and about looking for said zora. They continue their shouts and help to carry him to the healing pools just beneath the throne room. As soon as he is in the cool waters, one of the soldiers runs to look desperately for a healer. The other tries to leave to inform the king but Tivek stops him and insists that she will go, making the soldier stay and help her family understand what to do while a healer is summoned. The guard would understand Zoran anatomy better than the group of hylians. She runs, charges into the throne room ready to express great concern and need, but she stops. The king himself was gone. His throne was empty. 

Rage boils in her blood as she lets out an enraged roar and rushes back, jumping over the upper railing, to her family. Still they were panicking but even more so now as she lets them know the king is gone. The Zoran guard smacks her head "I... I forgot he had left! He left with the Queen of Hyrule and her knight to search!" 

Tevik suppresses her immediate want to scream at the zora and asks where he is. "I... right now I think he is at Polymus? Lady Zelda went with him!" 

She doesn't at all give her the chance to say anymore as she gives Sidon a kiss on his crest and leaves quickly. Pushing her legs harder to run faster was harder on her than she thought. The incline proved to be nothing like the sands of the desert and she had been slacking a bit on her workouts since Sidon had came to them. Not to forget that she had already tired herself with the laborious task of carrying a large body to the domain. She shakes her head to make herself focus on her current task. By now she has made it most of the way and was reaching the peak. And she could see the giant form of the king, as well as several other smaller forms. 

Her breath was ragged and her limbs burned  as she took the final step to the top. Her harsh breathing caught the attention of the group before her, causing them to quickly place hands on her back, trying to calm her. In between gasps she tries to speak, tears beginning to swell in her eyes.

"Please... I need...," She grasps her chest and tries to continue despite those around her trying to make her stop and breathe "help... hurt... he's hurt..." again she stops, this time falling to her knees and her hands now planted on the ground "please... Sidon... hurt..."

The hands leave her and in place a large finger is set on her head as she continues the hard breaths. It takes longer than she would have thought but she is finally breathing evenly. A large booming voice speaks to her, surely the king.

"Where is he?"  She looks up to him, tears beginning once again. And she tells him, she doesn't stop with his location. She explains how he was unable to fight off the ambush because he had previous injuries, she did not yet say where those were from. But she does tell of the shock arrow piercing his flesh and how he was only barely breathing. Without another word, the king picks her up and takes her back to the domain, the others that were with him already rushing far ahead. 

When they do make it back, they are all around the prince, crying, speaking, praying. The king held a calm expression though his body trembled as he watched his son lay near lifelessly in the pool.

They were doing their best to keep him alive while a healer was summoned. Tivek, of course, was worried. But one thing that she found odd was that this knight that the Queen supposedly had, was not present. She looked at all the faces and noticed not one of them as being a knight for Zelda. So she approaches her and asks.

"Oh... Link went to search elsewhere while we looked from the top of Polymus… I do not know where he is currently... " The blond looks down in what Tivek can only assume is guilt. She knew the name Link from Sidon, as he cried in his sleep for the knight and told her about his closeness to him. Suddenly she felt anger and without a thought, lets a burning question burst through her.

"So he did not die. I was told he was, and it was announced publicly, that he was gone with the Calamity. Sidon said this to me." She glares at the queen and before she could speak, Tivek holds up a hand to stop her. "Sidon cried,  _sobbed and screamed,_ about that man Link. He almost died because of the emotion surrounding the thoughts of him" 

That statement caught the attention of Dorephan and he quickly took Zelda and Tivek away from the larger group. In the throne room, in a hushed voice he questions Tivek.

"How long was my son with you, madam...?"

"Tivek," he nods and lets her continue "A year I would believe. We were helping him to recover from near fatal wounds. He nearly lost his life to a rare lynel. Had we not found him, he would have suffocated to death under the beast. Luckily he killed it, so that was one less threat." She paused as to take a deep breath. Remembering was painful and wished he had not been in that condition, or in this current one. "His body was heavily damaged, impaled below the shoulder, broken ribs, broken legs, even half blind, he was lucky to live until now... he is lucky if he survives after now..." She made no mention of his tasks prior to the lynel.

Zelda had began to cry at some point and Dorephan kept calm with hands stroking his tail methodically. Silence stayed with them before Tivek excused herself to go back to her family to see Sidon. As she left she could hear the two royals begin speaking again.

Sidon was still unconscious and everyone was still panicking over him. A healer, or what she assumed was one, was making salves and preparing strange instruments to deal with the damaged flesh. She watched as the healer checked over Sidon before suddenly stilling. Their eyes were in slits and they frantically began to grab the tools and cut into the red Zora's chest, above the gills. Panic set in and everyone was begging to know what happened as the healer hastily, with quick precision, opened him up and reached inside. The water under him was turning a nasty shade of red.

"He's not breathing."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this one. The scene with the keese and lizalfos was the only one that remained the same after a few rewrites. I also apologize for the wait, school and work are taking the life out of me at the moment, only another month and I will be free from school for the summer!


End file.
